A Father's Promise
by happy2
Summary: It's the night of Octorber 30th, 1980 and baby Harry can't get to sleep. It's up to James to put him back to sleep and to tell stories of their family's future.


October 30, 1981.  
  
It was late at night, and the streets of Godric's Hollow were dark and quiet. Most residents slept, lost in dreams of a peaceful world.a world which had not been seen among wizards and witches in a long time. Voldemort was at large, causing havoc and chaos everywhere he went, leaving looming Dark Marks above poor victims' dead bodies.bodies only to be found by a devastated loved one.  
  
James was one of the residents in Godric's Hollow, absentmindedly playing with his wife's hair as she continued sleeping, her head resting upon his lap. His fingers gently played with the ruby red strands as he marveled the woman he loved so deeply. He soon found himself tracing the features of her face, as if his touch would allow the memory of her to stay implanted in his mind forever.but that was useless, he already knew her by heart.  
  
He could see her eyes darting about behind her closed lids, so he stopped. His eyes then fell upon his one-year-old son, who was breathing steadily in his mother's arms. James smiled as he softly brushed away tousled, black hair away from the sleeping baby's face. Lily was always saying how much Harry was going to grow up looking like his father, but James was glad that he had inherited his mother's green eyes; her best feature in his opinion.  
  
James' heart swelled with love as he continued watching his family (his family.he loved the sound of that) sleep, his wife's head on his lap, their son resting on top his mother's chest and he leaning back on the couch in their living room. It was moments like these that actually made him forget that they were under the Fidelius Charm.that nobody but Sirius and Peter knew where they were.that a power-hungry Dark Lord was after him and his family, but only just. Reality always had a way of rearing its ugly head in even the most tranquil of times.  
  
He didn't like doubting his friend, Remus, but it was Dumbledore that even said to suspect even those closest to you. James didn't like it, but once this was over, he knew that he'd set things straight between Remus and himself. It would be nice to get all the Marauders together again.  
  
The grandfather clock in their living room chimed eleven times, causing Lily to stir in her sleep. She did not wake, though little Harry had other plans.  
  
A small whimper escaped his mouth as he stared around the room, confused at what had awoken him. Quickly replacing his with a pillow for Lily, James got up from the couch and took Harry from his mother's clutches. Small, quiet sobs escaped from Harry as he buried his face into his father's shoulder. Thinking he was hungry, James went to the kitchen to retrieve a milk bottle, but Harry didn't want it. It almost felt like he was scared of something.  
  
"What's wrong, Harry?" James asked, stroking Harry's back. He finally chose to sit in the rocking chair, maybe to help soothe Harry. He rocked back and forth, continuing to rub his back.  
  
"Are you afraid of something? Do you think there's a Boggart in our closet?" James strolled over to the closet and opened it to show Harry its emptiness. At least his crying stopped, but he still looked anxious over something.more anxious than a one-year-old should be. James went over to the window in their living room, letting Harry take a look outside. Apparently, the stillness of the night didn't appeal to him, for his face scrunched up ready for another cry. He turned away and simply wrapped his arms around his father's neck.  
  
"I bet I know what you're afraid of," James said, returning to the rocking chair. "You're scared of what we're going through.this whole Voldemort business." It had been awhile since James had said the name of Voldemort and the person he was speaking to didn't flinch. Sirius, Lily, and Remus avoided using the terms "You-Know-Who" and "He-who-must-not-be-named", but even they were sometimes hesitant in saying the name many feared. Peter just didn't say the name at all.it was really only Dumbledore that said it as liberally as James did (if not, even more). It looked like Harry was one of them now too, but he didn't understand much at this point in life.  
  
"Don't worry, Harry. We're going to overcome this. We're on the winning side and Voldemort and his followers won't stand a chance against us. Never be afraid to say his name, alright? Someone wise once told me that 'fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself'. You'll get to meet Professor Dumbledore in due time. He's going to be one of the first people we'll see once we get out of this." Harry was now looking at James intently, as if he knew just what he was saying.  
  
"Once we're out of this, we'll be able to visit Uncle Padfoot and Wormtail.maybe even Uncle Moony!" James hesitated in mentioning Remus, since he wasn't all too sure on that situation. "I reckon you'll see a lot of them, especially during Christmases and Halloweens. They're pretty much family, you know." James shifted Harry to a lying down position as he continued rocking back and forth. "Did you know that me, your mum, Sirius, Remus and Peter did a Wizard of Oz theme for Halloween once? I was the scarecrow, your mum was Dorothy, Sirius was Toto the dog, Remus was the Tin Man, and Peter was the Cowardly Lion," James recalled. "That was our seventh year at Hogwarts.we'll tell you all about Hogwarts as you grow up. You'll be the most learned one there, what with all the secrets about the castle I'll tell you.  
  
"I'll even teach you how to fly, so that you'll be a pro at your first Flying Lesson there. The Gryffindor Quidditch team wouldn't know what hit them. You'll also learn about Quidditch soon enough. I don't want to brag, but I was Gryffindor's Star Chaser." James looked proudly into his son's eyes.  
  
"You're going to be a Gryffindor, I'm sure of it. It's written all over your face. You're going to have to owl us when you're at school. I want to be able to know all about my son's years at Hogwarts.  
  
"Hogwarts is going to be great. You'll make lots of friends in your House and later on, you might even get a girlfriend." James' eyes began to water as he visualized his son growing into a handsome, young man. "Then you'll graduate and start your own life. But you're still our baby boy.we still have plenty of time before all that happens.  
  
"We still have to potty train you, wean you, and hear you say your first complete sentences." It was only recently that Harry began talking, saying simple words like "Dada", "Mama", and "Boom" (after one of Sirius' most memorable visits). "I can't wait to hear you say 'I love you'. We still have to wait for that one.  
  
"Lily's going to want to teach you how to read. She must have the largest collection of Muggle fairy tales in all of Europe. You can guarantee a bedtime story every night." Harry was finally falling asleep, his eyelids slowly drooping. James dropped his voice to a whisper.  
  
"We'll throw you a big birthday party.with a fancy cake, balloons and everything to make-up for the crummy one you had this year." Because of the Dark times they were facing, James and Lily were not able to celebrate Harry's first birthday like they had wanted to. "But don't worry.I'm planning on getting you a toy broomstick, although your mother might skin me alive." Harry was now fast asleep. James stroked his identical head of hair and placed a kiss on his forehead.  
  
"Sleep well, son. Just know that no Dark Lord can break up our family." He returned to the Harry to his mother's arms, which immediately embraced him in her sleep, and took his place back on the couch. Lily's head automatically came back to stay on his lap. He kissed her forehead too and leaned back to sleep. He didn't have the heart to move everyone upstairs to the bedroom. Just before he shut his eyes, the grandfather clock chimed twelve times, signaling midnight.  
  
October 31, 1981. 


End file.
